Parallel Bible results for "2 corinthians 8"

2 Corinthians 8

New International Version NIV

1 And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches.

2 In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.

3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own,

4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people.

5 And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.

6 So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part.

7 But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you —see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

8 I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others.

9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

10 And here is my judgment about what is best for you in this matter. Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so.

11 Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means.

12 For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.

13 Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality.

14 At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality,

15 as it is written: “The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.”

16 Thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you.

17 For Titus not only welcomed our appeal, but he is coming to you with much enthusiasm and on his own initiative.

18 And we are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel.

19 What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honor the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help.

20 We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift.

21 For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man.

22 In addition, we are sending with them our brother who has often proved to us in many ways that he is zealous, and now even more so because of his great confidence in you.

23 As for Titus, he is my partner and co-worker among you; as for our brothers, they are representatives of the churches and an honor to Christ.

24 Therefore show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you, so that the churches can see it.

Common English Bible CEB

1 Brothers and sisters, we want to let you know about the grace of God that was given to the churches of Macedonia.

2 While they were being tested by many problems, their extra amount of happiness and their extreme poverty resulted in a surplus of rich generosity.

3 I assure you that they gave what they could afford and even more than they could afford, and they did it voluntarily.

4 They urgently begged us for the privilege of sharing in this service for the saints.

5 They even exceeded our expectations, because they gave themselves to the Lord first and to us, consistent with God's will.

6 As a result, we challenged Titus to finish this work of grace with you the way he had started it.

7 Be the best in this work of grace in the same way that you are the best in everything, such as faith, speech, knowledge, total commitment, and the love we inspired in you.

8 I'm not giving an order, but by mentioning the commitment of others, I'm trying to prove the authenticity of your love also.

9 You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Although he was rich, he became poor for our sakes, so that you could become rich through his poverty.

10 I'm giving you my opinion about this. It's to your advantage to do this, since you not only started to do it last year but you wanted to do it too.

11 Now finish the job as well so that you finish it with as much enthusiasm as you started, given what you can afford.

12 A gift is appreciated because of what a person can afford, not because of what that person can't afford, if it's apparent that it's done willingly.

13 It isn't that we want others to have financial ease and you financial difficulties, but it's a matter of equality.

14 At the present moment, your surplus can fill their deficit so that in the future their surplus can fill your deficit. In this way there is equality.

15 As it is written, The one who gathered more didn't have too much, and the one who gathered less didn't have too little.

16 But thank God, who put the same commitment that I have for you in Titus' heart.

17 Not only has he accepted our challenge but he's on his way to see you voluntarily, and he's excited.

18 We are sending the brother who is famous in all the churches because of his work for the gospel along with him.

19 In addition to this, he is chosen by the churches to be our traveling companion in this work of grace, which we are taking care of for the sake of the glory of the Lord himself, and to show our desire to help.

20 We are trying to avoid being blamed by anyone for the way we take care of this large amount of money.

21 We care about doing the right thing, not only in the Lord's eyes but also in the eyes of other people.

22 We are sending our brother with them. We have tested his commitment in many ways and many times. Now he's even more committed, because he has so much confidence in you.

23 If there is any question about Titus, he is my partner and coworker among you. If there is any question about our brothers, they are the churches' apostles and an honor to Christ.

24 So show them the proof of your love and the reason we are so proud of you, in such a way that the churches can see it.